title: Degradation of carotenoids in apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) during drying process.
abstract: Carotenoids are natural compounds whose nutritional importance comes from the provitamin A activity of some of them and their protection against several serious human disorders. The degradation of carotenoids was investigated during apricot drying by microwave and convective hot-air at 60 and 70 °C. Seven carotenoids were identified: antheraxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, 13-cis-β-carotene, all-trans-β-carotene and 9-cis-β-carotene; among these, all-trans-β-carotene was found to be about 50 % of total carotenoids. First-order kinetic models were found to better describe all-trans-β-carotene reduction during drying, with a degradation rate constant (k1) that increased two folds when temperatures increased by 10 °C, in both methods. No differences were found in k1 between apricots dried by hot air at 70 °C (k1 = 0.0340 h(-1)) and by microwave at 60 °C. The evolution of total carotenoids (117.1 mg/kg on dry basis) during drying highlighted a wider decrease (about 50%) when microwave heating was employed, for both set temperatures. Antheraxantin was found to be the carotenoid most susceptible to heat, disappearing at 6 h during both trials with microwave as well as during convective hot-air at 70 °C. For this reason, antheraxanthin could be a useful marker for the evaluation of thermal damage due to the drying process. Also the degree of isomerization of all-trans-β-carotene could be a useful marker for the evaluation of the drying process.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento Agricoltura, Ambiente e Alimenti, Università del Molise, Campobasso, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fratianni
authors.forename: Donatella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Albanese
authors.forename: Rossella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mignogna
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cinquanta
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Panfili
authors.forename: Marisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Matteo
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D065366:Cryptoxanthins; D003890:Desiccation; D004355:Drug Stability; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods*; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D007536:Isomerism; D007700:Kinetics; D014975:Lutein / Q000032:analysis; D009753:Nutritive Value; D027861:Prunus; D024341:Xanthophylls / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D065146:Zeaxanthins; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D065366:Cryptoxanthins; D024341:Xanthophylls; D065146:Zeaxanthins; D019207:beta Carotene; C031140:antheraxanthin; D002338:Carotenoids; D014975:Lutein